Martial Arts Education Society (MAES)

Martial Arts Education Society (MAES) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to bringing self-discipline and hope back to our communities. MAES aims to promote the positive values and cultures of martial arts education that allow positive role-modeling, moral leadership, and caring relationships to the general public.

In today's society, many of us focus heavily on fast-tracking and instant gratification; our mindset towards everyday living has changed. Traditional martial arts practice has been credited with various benefits such as physical fitness, health improvement, and stress relief for youth. An adaptable martial arts curriculum can help us improve our mind and body, develop ethical self-conduct, and build unity among members. MAES strives to improve the current practice of martial arts education.

MAES was established by William Kwok in 2018. He is a full-time teacher of traditional Taekwon-do and Practical Wing Chun Kung Fu. He is also a doctoral researcher at Northeastern University and serves as the Co-chair of Harvard Alumni for Education in New York City.

What is Martial Arts Education?

Martial Arts Education consists of three parts

Physical Education
Modern understanding of the human body has evolved from our knowledge several hundred years ago. Martial arts educators today should be equipped to explain the movement science behind the techniques. Reinforcing martial arts with scientific theory and knowledge will help us improve our practice, coordination, and motion to pass on to future generations effectively. At MAES, we are constantly seeking more effective approaches to improve martial arts techniques and practice based on evidence-based research while still maintaining a connection to the traditional theories and concepts.
Character Education
Traditional martial arts disciplines such as Kung Fu, Taekwondo and Karate have long been an essential form of education in East Asian countries. These all-encompassing disciplines have also been a great instrument to improve social and personal development of many people. In recent years, MAES has established training programs such as Martial Mind to help children and youth overcome social-emotional challenges and improve their self-awareness and present-focus by implementing martial arts education with the emphasis of philosophical aspects in training.
Teacher Education
Teaching martial arts should be organic because we are working with human beings, not machines. In order to reintroduce the core values of traditional martial arts, MAES aims to create higher quality training programs to produce qualified educators. Ideally, well-qualified martial arts teachers should have extensive knowledge of martial arts from both physical and philosophical perspectives. They should also have a well-rounded foundation of educational theories for designing an adaptable curriculum and improving current practice.
Martial Mind A martial arts-inspired social-emotional learning program that aims to increase character development in children to help them grow into ethical, well-coping, and moral citizens.
Special Certificate of Appreciation Presenting our Special Certificate of Appreciation to the legendary action choreographer and director Yuen Woo-Ping.
Tax-Deductible Donation Your support helps develop more citizens with self-discipline. We need to bring hope back to our communities. Make a tax-deductible donation today.